The Hindu : Front Page : Another car bomb found in London

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Sunday, Jul 01, 2007
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Another car bomb found in London

Hasan Suroor

Fear, anxiety in city

LONDON: A sense of fear and anxiety hung over London following the discovery of another Mercedes “car bomb” in the heart of central London, barely yards from Haymarket where the first was found early on Friday.

Police suspect that the two were planned to go off simultaneously or immediately after one and another in a coordinated attempt to cause maximum panic and loss of lives as the area is the hub of London’s tourist and entertainment attractions dotted with theatres, nightclubs, bars and restaurants.

Scotland Yard said “hundreds” of people might have been killed if the bombs, apparently intended to be set off through mobile phones, had exploded. In both cases, Mercedes cars were found packed with gas and petrol cylinders and large quantities of nails.

“The vehicles are clearly linked,” said Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command.

Fears that London may be facing a terrorist attack on the second anniversary of the July 7 bombings cast a shadow over the Concert for Diana to be held at Wembley Stadium on Sunday and expected to be attended by thousands of people, including the royal family.

Experts’ suspicion

While police declined to speculate on who might be responsible for the two attempted bombings, security experts pointed the finger at the Al-Qaeda, which is known to have used car bombs to launch coordinated attacks in the past.

Dhiren Barot, an India-born terrorist, was jailed for life last year for plotting to target nightclubs and high-profile buildings using limousines packed with explosives.

It was also reported that a message on a jihadist website, said to be used by Al-Qaeda sympathisers, hailed an imminent attack on London.

“Today I say rejoice, London will be bombed,” it said.

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